Rushing to Completion

[Riley Smith]

Rushing to completion...LOL. With high winds and seas expected, I've been getting ready. I've stowed loose stuff around the Labrot House, and turned the utilities off, except electricity. Prepped the yard and house on Wolf Ridge, and got the generator fired up. Laid by extension cord and electric chainsaws and fans. We're busy making plans on where to stay, as we have grandchildren tonight. Cooking may happen later, as we while the hours until it gets here. Cookies would be good as we already have a big pot of spaghetti. We may stay 1/4 mile down the road tonight, at my daughter's house, as she has no trees nearby.
 
There is little danger here from rising water, although it is a entirely different story at the Labrot House. Schools are canceled. One of the roads in to the old house floods on a King tide, so any surge begins to choke it off. The other two are better but will go underwater if it gets high enough. So far I haven't heard of any water problems yet, with a Northerly component in the 20kt wind, according to the data buoy. If it shifts more easterly, it'll change in a hurry. The sun even brightened the sky through the heavy clouds for a few moments awhile ago, although it is looking darker towards New Orleans. We're on the wind side of landfall and probably will get some. The tide is ebbing until late this evening and I'm thinking from the direction of the wind, it'll be unusually low until tonight. I'm glad I don't have a boat in the water.

Maybe we should play a game of spades tonight! And rats, I was planning on fishing and sailing. That drives home my point about plans. which only work initially, then they fall apart and NEW plans have to be made  Photo is all the pelicans on the bar yesterday....You cannot view this attachment.

[Captain Kidd]

Stay safe. Watching from a distance.

[Norm L.]

You have a generator and a pot of spaghetti? When the power goes out here, we can be there in an hour. With red wine.
So far 3 walks in the rain trying to keep the dogs drained before it gets nasty. It is now past any thought of using an umbrella, but my very ancient Academy Sport rain jacket is still fine, with only needing one seam reglued.

[Norm L.]

I'm certainly glad I no longer have a boat in the marina as being on the east side those 100 MPH winds will push the Gulf into Lake Pontchartrain. My business partner also aged out of sailboats (a 36') and moved to a very nice 34' power boat. He told me yesterday that he put multiple dock lines on it but here it's not so much wind as the rising water at fixed docks with short pilings. But he is a very savvy boater.

[Riley Smith]

I'm sure there are many big boats in the bayous above I-10 where the trees start. Tactic is to tie off to about 3 GOOD trees with 200' of line and pray. The trees break the wind and unless you get hit by one falling or lose one of the ropes, it works out pretty good. The long lines take care of the surge for the most part. You ante up and draw your cards. The locals will help out too, and everybody takes care of each other. I'm glad I don't have a houseboat, as I know many with them. Nowadays you have to own a plot to have one and the land is expensive, and rightly so. There are some in the MIDDLE of the management land with a power line going back there.

So far so good, a lot of rain and I had to herd the rooster back in his coop awhile ago. You gotta watch that guy and I don't let him get the drop on me. Sonya couldn't do it and I told her a chicken has JUST enough sense to get out of the rain and you couldn't do it? That old rooster is feisty and has 'em bluffed, except Jude. He'll punch him out       

I hearded Chickaletta and him with a small stick, no problem, and kidded Sonya. The wind is up a little and I see some heavy stuff out on the gulf headed toward us, but no problems here. I'd like to get a look at the tide but will get messages if things start to go down. Hmmm....just heard thunder out on the gulf. Better peek at the radar...

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[Riley Smith]

All is well in the 'Sip. Well, at my home anyway. I checked the data buoy and the highest wind was around 0430 at 35-40 kts. I was sleeping soundly then. There will be a foray to the beach to check there later today. And of course a ton of leaves to mow. And now I have to wait until the river goes back down to fish.

I think the shrimp may have gotten a pass with this storm. The waters were filled with them beginning to move out of the river but the fish weren't biting. The high water will flush many out into the gulf as it recedes. I have spoken about the "washing machine" and that's just about what is happening now; a great mixing.

[Norm L.]

For us, just a messy yard. An hour and a half cleaning up and unbattening various hatches. Local winds with some gusts to 60. But horrendous rain. Our gauge overflowed at 8".

At 930 today walking the dog our end of the block was being visited by two small dogs we had never seen before. They were having a fantastic time racing up and down and visiting ours and a neighbor's dog. Photos posted on Facebook and Nextdoor quickly got them home. But I think they would have loved to spend more time racing up and down.
On top of that the neighbor kids next door found a baby squirrel that had possibly been blown out of a tree. After making sure it was okay they went to YouTube and got a cry of a baby squirrel. They put the baby at the base of a tree and broadcasted the sound as loud as they could. In about 10 minutes the mother came cautiously and picked it up, back up the tree and across the street on a power line to another huge Cyprus. 

[Riley Smith]

Aftermath: Yard work and a general spruce up. I finally got to the site to check the river levels, as that makes a BIG difference in the prospects of catching a fish at the Labrot House. It was only 5ft on the rise! That's a total of 5 feet, with flood being at 22 ft. I always get my reading at Merrill, MS in the next county and hadn't checked in a while. That place is a good ways upriver where it is one river and not two. SO that means that it will only take a couple or three days until things are looking good once again. We still haven't made it to the beach but there is a valve to install on the water line over there and it'll probably coincide with the first fishing trip